Claim OwnershipWhite Strawberries: Gardening for Wellness & Joy
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Welcome to White Strawberries, where gardening, permaculture, and sustainable living nourish body, and spirit and the planet. I’m Sam—a gardener, mum and podcaster.
Each episode explores how growing and eating nutrient-dense, foods—from polyphenol-rich plants to adaptogenic herbs like ashwagandha—supports vitality and a joyful, vibrant life.
I cover garden design, soil health, mushrooms, animal integration, and seasonal growing insights. I am a self confessed lazy gardener, who aims to do things efficently with max returns.
🌱 Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced gardener, I hope you'll join me each week.
🌱 Let's connect on Instagram: @whitestrawberriespodcast
📘 Join the conversation on Facebook: White Strawberries Podcast
29 Episodes
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Leave a comment! Could the future of food be rooted in trees, not annual grains? In this episode of White Strawberries, I’m joined by journalist and NPR reporter Elspeth Hay, author of the hopeful manifesto Feed Us with Trees: Nuts and Future of Food. Her work uncovers a surprising truth: for thousands of years, humans relied on perennial nut trees—oaks, chestnuts, hazelnuts—as our main sources of flour, oils, and everyday staple foods. At a time when the majority of the wo...
Leave a comment! I’m not usually a political person, but sometimes a little adulting is needed. And I think it’s important that everyday Kiwis actually know what’s happening in our food system. In this episode, I sit down with Callum from GE Honesty to unpack the basics of genetic engineering, gene editing, and what these proposed changes, that are currently with parliament, could mean for New Zealand farmers, gardeners, and the nutrient density of our food. Whether you’re new to the GE con...
Leave a comment! 🌻 How cool are sunflowers? In this Sparking Joy episode of White Strawberries, we explore everything there is to love about sunflowers — their ancient history, mythological roots, and the many ways they bring life (and light!) to your garden. From Greek mythology’s Helios and the sunflower nymph, to modern uses like phytoremediation — where sunflowers help clean toxins from the soil after disasters like Chernobyl and Fukushima — these plants are true multitaskers. We also div...
Leave a comment! In this episode we’re diving into asexual propagation: making clones of a plant we want. For beginners! There are more ways, but these are the easiest!! AKA- Why My Baby Strawberries are Yucky. AKA- How to steal plants. Think of it as taking the complete DNA of a plant you love and bringing it home to grow in your garden. I cover: 🌱 Root cuttings – the basics, tips, and tricks for plants like comfrey that practically clone themselves. 🌱 Cuttings – ho...
Leave a comment! This week on White Strawberries, we’re talking about DIY electrolytes — making your own hydration mix right from the kitchen (and garden). Whether you’re in autumn apple season in the Northern Hemisphere or heading into long, sunny days here in New Zealand, this episode shows you how to turn fruit surplus into clean, functional hydration — without the bright blue sports drinks or artificial sweeteners. I share how a 12-hour adventure race taught me the importance of electroly...
Leave a comment! 🌱 In this episode, I’m tackling a problem I hear all the time — what to do when your garden isn’t thriving. Maybe your garden used to be amazing, but now your plants are struggling. Maybe you are hesitant to continue to purchase soil and your plants aren't thriving. Maybe your potting mix has released all it's fertiliser, or maybe you're starting from scratch! Leaves are pale, flowers are sparse, and growth is slow. I’ll walk you through practical ways to fix infe...
Leave a comment! 🌱 In this episode, I explore something that’s been top of mind lately — ground covers. Ground covers form one of the eight layers of a forest and play a vital role in any thriving garden, orchard, or food forest. They’re not just about filling space — they’re about protecting, nourishing, and bringing life to your soil. I’ll chat about: 🌾 Why we need to mulch our soil 🧹 How to clear the space first 💚 Why living mulches (aka ground covers) are so awesome &nbs...
Leave a comment! 🌍 In this episode, I’ve just returned from WWOOFing — and I have a lot of feedback to share! What exactly is WWOOFing? Is it for you? And how can you make sure you find the right host before you pack your bags and head off to dig, plant, and learn? I’ll chat about: 🌾 What WWOOFing really is 💬 The questions to ask before joining a host 🧭 How to filter out good hosts 🪴 Why getting clear on your expectations before you go makes all the difference 💪 What ...
Leave a comment! 🐓 In this episode, I share my lived experience with chicken tractors and the mandala garden system — the joys, the frustrations, and the lessons five years in. We explore: 🪴 How chickens save you work with composting, weeding, and pest control 🛠️ Design considerations: circular vs. rectangular tractors, PVC vs. wood, mites and materials 👩🌾 What it’s really like moving a dome once your Zone One (Garden Bed) fills with fruit trees and hedges 🌬️ Why win...
Leave a comment! We’re talking chickens—those fluffy butt, soil-turning, pest eating wonders that can be put to work in your garden. 🐔 Whether you're dreaming of adding chickens to your permaculture setup or wondering if they're right for your orchard, this episode is packed with practical, real-world insight. I'm joined by Sez the Vet, an experienced life-style vet and educator. This is a conversation I was looking for 10 years ago! I get to have it now and share it with you. Are...
Leave a comment! 🌱 In this episode, I sit down with Steve Fawcett to explore Troppo — an urban tropical food forest in Te Puke. Yes, tropical plants… outdoors… in a place that gets frost and hail! We dive into: 🍌 Bananas as mineral accumulators (and why banana lollies taste the way they do) 🌴 Air layering and how it can trigger early flowering in plants ❄️ Frost protection strategies and mulching like crazy 🌳 Why food forests build deeper community resilience than vegg...
Leave a comment! 🌱 In this episode, I dive into The Home-Scale Forest Garden by Dani Baker (2022), How to Plan, Plant and Tend a Resilient Edible Landscape. I share why this book captured my attention, what makes it such a treasure for anyone wanting to create a forest garden, and how I’ve been inspired to rethink my own food forest. From mapping your space with to-scale circles to understanding the roles of nitrogen fixers, mineral accumulators, and even fungi, Dani’s approach is full of pra...
Leave a comment! Looking to make the most of your garden or property without selling your harvest? In this episode of White Strawberries, I share five creative side hustles you can start right at home. From hosting garden tours and beehives to earning carbon credits, leasing land, or renting out a minor dwelling, these ideas can help offset costs, invest in your property, and even bring in a little extra cash. I cover practical tips, real-life examples from New Zealand, and legal consid...
Leave a comment! Some fruits and vegetables are heavily sprayed with pesticides—and it’s not just a chemical issue. These plants may also produce fewer natural compounds that make them nutritious, and conventional growing methods can harm the environment. 🌱 Welcome to White Strawberries, In this episode, we unpack the Dirty Dozen—the 12 fruits and vegetables with the highest pesticide residues—and explore the Clean 15, foods that are generally safer. I’ll share advice on which ones to g...
Leave a comment! In this episode, Sam puts on her educator’s hat, drawing from over 20 years of experience working in schools across New Zealand, Hong Kong, China, and the USA — including roles as Dean, Head of Business Department, sustainable living and outdoor education specialist, and working with at-risk youth. Sam sits down with Robin Mann, founder of Grow Wild Education, an inspiring nature-based learning initiative. Grow Wild Education runs weekly nature school programs and summer holi...
Leave a comment! In this episode of White Strawberries, I dig into the unsung heroes of the vegetable garden: perennials! You’ll learn about my three favourite edible roots — yacón, Jerusalem artichokes, and oca (NZ yams) — and the leafy perennials I would grow even if I only had 1m2 of garden bed: Sorrel, perpetual spinach, Welsh onions, and chives. These plants are weedy in the best way, nutrient-dense, and perfect for gardeners who want to reduce the time and effort they spend ...
Leave a comment! 🌱 What is nitrogen actually and when we know what it is why does it matter? In this solo episode of White Strawberries, I ditch the edits (full disclosure I took the "um's" out) and go full conversation mode to unpack something that is made overly complicated sometimes: nitrogen. 🧪 We explore: • What nitrogen really is • How to tell if a plant is nitrogen-rich—or ready to mulch • Composting ratios made simple • "Humanure" • Why fresh arborist mulch...
Leave a comment! 💧 🌦️ If you’ve ever looked at a garden hose like it was made of gold—this one’s for you. In this episode of White Strawberries, I have a conversation with Sophie, a Zero Waste Educator, about the messy magic of water in the garden. From buckets of bathwater to rainwater you wish you could store, we share what it’s really like managing water—whether you live in a tiny house on a large amount of land, or a suburban backyard, this ones for you. 🚿 We explore: • Why water is...
Leave a comment! In this Spark Joy episode, we dive into the wonderful world of hydrangeas — one of New Zealand’s most beloved perennial shrubs, known for their stunning blooms and versatility. As I recorded this in the height of summer, hydrangeas were truly sparking joy in my garden. Now, as winter sets in, it’s the perfect time to prune your hydrangeas, take cuttings to propagate, plant new hydrangeas, and feed your existing plants. Plus, if you’re looking to adjust your soil’s pH for the ...
Leave a comment! In today’s Q&A-style episode, I chat with Becks, who’s growing food on a small urban section packed with subtropical and Mediterranean microclimates. We talk through her real-life garden dilemmas—from a wayward apple tree branch and overachieving feijoas, to pruning grapevines and getting citrus trees back on track. We cover: 🍏 How to prune an espaliered apple tree 🍇 When and how to cut back grapevines 🌱 How to take a cutting and get it growing 🍋 W...
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